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Great British Politics

Making Europe's future rhyme for the Next Generation

History does not always repeat itself but for Europe it does usually rhyme. Or at least it used to. In the face of a virus that has taken lives and livelihoods across the world, Europe did not give ...

Labour calls for government to align export finance with Paris Agreement commitments

Labour has challenged the government to take urgent action to ensure the UK remains credible on climate change ahead of the COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow next year. The COP26 summit represents ...

Global business leaders believe that growth will return in 2021, and teleworking is here to stay

According to a new global survey by The Conference Board think tank, business leaders believe that leaner, more agile companies will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents suggest that ...

G20 governments have committed $151 billion to fossil fuels in COVID-19 recovery packages

Data made public today on the Energy Policy Tracker, which tracks climate- and energy-related recovery policies, shows a total commitment of at least USD 151 billion from G20 governments in ...

New regional COVID-19 restrictions for areas in North of England and Leicester

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night announced a raft of new regional COVID-19 restrictions on Twitter. These restrictions will cover Greater Manchester, alongside several other areas in ...

New amendment to create 'smoke-free' pub gardens introduced

The government yesterday tabled an amendment that would introduce outdoor non-smoking areas to rubs, resturants and cafes. Under the Business and Planning Bill, owners will be compelled to create ...

National Archive of Ireland partners with CAIN to publish documents on the Troubles online

A batch of some 960 documents, covering events related to Northern Ireland over the period 1986-88, have just been added to the Conflict Archive on the INternet (CAIN) website as part ...

Government announces 10 temporary 'Nightingale Courts' to alleviate pressure on justice system

The court system in England and Wales was struggling long before COVID-19. Court closures and chronic under-funding has created a damaging backlog of cases, impacting victims disproportionately. The ...

Former Johnson advisor calls for the UK to support start-ups around the world

The coronavirus pandemic is calling globalisation into question as businesses focus more on regionalised trade, according to James Sproule, former senior business adviser to Boris Johnson in Downing ...

Larger 'Changing Places' toilets for disabled people to be compulsory in new builds in England

Larger disabled toilets will be made compulsory in new buildings in England from 2021. It is estimated that this change will impact more than 250,000 severely disabled people. These Changing Places ...

UK loan scheme to cover small businesses as EU relaxes state aid rules after UK lobbying

The European Commission has relaxed its European Temporary State Aid Framework rules so that small and micro businesses – meaning fewer than 50 employees and turnover less than £9 million – ...

Large majority of US voters favour police reform in Congressional bills

When a representative sample of American voters were given a detailed presentation of ten police reform proposals in current Congressional bills, large majorities favoured all of them, according to a ...

Which Prime Minister are you? Quiz

There have been 55 Prime Ministers since the office was first created under Walpole almost 300 years ago. Some have been well regarded and well remembered by history. Some of them have a place ...

BBC accused of elitism for axing regional news at expense of local communities

No local news is bad news, especially during times of crisis. In September 2019, Mark Thompson, former director general of the BBC and current chief executive of the New York Times, ...

New advice suggests dams threatening the source of the Amazon in Peru would not be legal

The environmental impact assessments for two dams planned on Marañon River, the main tributary to the Amazon, have expired, meaning the dams can no longer legally be built, according to a ...

Theatres and music venues to re-open on 1st August

Audiences adhering to social distancing will be able to return to indoor theatres, music and performance venues from 1 August, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced today. Dozens of local ...

EU creates 'humanitarian air bridge' to Iraq to help the state manage COVID-19 pandemic

The latest in a series of EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flights with over 40 tons of medical and emergency supplies to reinforce the humanitarian response has arrived in Iraq. The flight is part of the ...

70% of Europeans say that replacing animal testing should be an EU priority

Almost three quarters of EU citizens think the European Union should set binding targets and deadlines to phase out animal testing, according to a new polling undertaken by Savanta ComRes in ...

UK to replace agricultural 'greening' programme post-Brexit

The UK left the EU in January of this year, and the transition period - which temporarily binds the UK to current EU laws during negotiations on the future relationship - is set to end in January ...

World Bank provides a further $16.4 million for Dominica

The World Bank communicated on June 30th that it is providing a further $16.4 million to the Commonwealth of Dominica. This week, the Government Information Service ...

Government could ban fast food adverts as part of obesity strategy

The government has announced its new obesity strategy, partly pushed by the impact of obesity on COVID-19 mortality rates. These new proposals would ban TV and online adverts for food that ...

Russian 'spies' target COVID-19 research in cyber attacks

Several major international institutions involved in global research for a COVID-19 vaccine have been hit by a series of cyber attacks, according to global security agencies. The agencies did not ...

Legal change to allow video-witnesses for wills in England and Wales during lockdown

Currently, the law states that a will must be made ‘in the presence of’ at least two witnesses, as a mechanism to stop coercion or fraud. Under lockdown, this has become an increasingly difficult ...

Government announces additional £500 million of funding for councils

Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick has today announced £500 million of additional support for COVID-19 related pressures. Many councils have warned that the additional financial burden placed ...

UN calls on Tanzania to drop new laws that limit ability to protest human rights

The UN has called on Tanzania to immediately drop legislative and other measures that further curb civic space, particularly as the country gears up for October elections, and urged the ...

UN security council meets to discus serious risk from stranded oil tanker in Yemen

The UN Security Council yesterday met to discus the imminent environmental risk posed by the FSO SAFER oil tanker, which has 1.14 million barrels of crude oil on board. Its poor condition means it is ...

UK and Indian ministers agree to negotiations on enhanced trade deal

Liz Truss MP, International Trade Secretary, and India’s Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal met at a Joint Economic Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting yesterday, ...

Pension Bill - including requirements to report on green credentials - passes first hurdle

The Pension Schemes Bill, which will bolstering protections for savers and mandate pension schemes to adopt climate reporting - based on recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial ...

New flu vaccine programme to be 'largest in UK history'

The health minister today announced the largest flu vaccination programme in UK history. It is hoped that expanding flu vaccinations will reduce the pressure on the NHS during flu season this year, ...

Largest testing programme for coronavirus publishes its initial findings

Imperial College London has today released findings from the largest study to date on coronavirus infections. The research, which examined levels of infection in the general population in ...

Northern Transport Acceleration Council given £589 funding to improve rail infrastructure in the north of England

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has today announced £589 of funding for work on the Transpennine main line railway between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester. This funding will be delivered through ...

The government has finally acted on face masks, but there is more to do

Should wearing a mask be mandatory, or voluntary? This is the argument that's been raging over recent weeks, especially as more shops have re-opened and the UK's comparatively high COVID-19 infection ...

UN calls on Ethiopia to allow peaceful protest and fully restore internet connections

The UN today called on the government of Ethiopia to respect the right of people to demonstrate peacefully, after the government temporary shut off internet in the country to control protests. The ...

Huawei to be removed from the UK's 5G network by 2027, review opened into Huawei involvement in broadband infrastructure

Huawei will be completely removed from the UK’s 5G networks by the end of 2027, the government has announced. Ahead of this there will be a total ban on the purchase of any new 5G kit after 31 ...

Labour apologises for defaming Panorama journalist John Ware

The Labour Party has today issued an apology to journalist John Ware, who i presented the July 2019 BBC Panorama programme about antisemitism within the Labour Party. This comes in the wake of the ...

Air pollution exposure linked to higher COVID-19 cases and deaths – new study

The global death toll from COVID-19 has now passed half a million. To slow the spread of the disease, we need to better understand why some places have higher numbers of cases and deaths than ...

Government guarantees £500 million in loans to Ford

International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, today announced that Ford has received a £625 million loan facility from commercial banks with support from a £500 million guarantee from UK Export Finance ...

Williamson announces measures to boost higher technical education

Measures to boost the quality and take-up of higher technical education to support the UK’s economic recovery have been announced by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson today. This comes after a ...

Americans re-thinking support for economic re-opening in midst of COVID-19 resurgence

According to a new survey by ROI Rocket, a leading provider of market research-based consulting services, the number of Americans highly concerned about the virus has increased dramatically since the ...

UK government bans neo-Nazi terror group

The Home Secretary has today began the process of proscribing Feuerkrieg Division, or 'fire war division', the far-right terror group. Once this process is complete, it will become a criminal offence ...

LGA calls for rescue package for leisure providers in fight against obesity

Councils are working closely with leisure centres and swimming pools in their areas as they look to try and reopen from this weekend. However, significant losses of income during this ...

Post-Brexit regional development funding may leave English regions significantly worse off

With less than six months until the UK leaves European regional development funding schemes, the UK government has yet to confirm details of its proposed replacement: the Shared Prosperity Fund. A ...

'Russia report' into state interference released

The Intelligence and Security Committee's long awaited 'Russia Report' into Russian state interference in the UK has been published today, after a significant delay and growing political pressure. ...

Consultation launched to increase sentencing guidelines for assaulting emergency workers

Further to the government's historic manifesto commitments to consult on tougher sentences for those convicted of assaulting emergency workers, and in the context of several high profile assaults ...

Tory MP accused of sexually harassing intern

Tory MP for Delyn, Rob Roberts is facing serious allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment regarding behaviour towards two junior members of his parliamentary staff. BBC ...

New planning permission rules introduced to save theatres and music venues from demolition

Robert Jendrick, Housing and Communities Secretary, today announced changes to the planning system to make it temporarily more difficult to demolish or repurpose theatres, concert halls and live ...

Bounce-back plan for Northern Ireland's tech sector outlined

Northern Ireland’s flourishing tech sector stands to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of “Bounce-Back” plans to help firms recover from the challenges of the coronavirus crisis. Speaking to ...

Three Takeaways From the Supreme Court’s Decisions on Trump’s Tax and Financial Documents

The Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decisions yesterday in two cases concerning oversight, presidential immunity, and the balance of powers. Both cases address whether subpoenas seeking ...

COVID-19 has left business less prepared for Brexit, according to new research

The coronavirus crisis has left many companies in a worse position to prepare for Brexit than they were ahead of a possible no-deal outcome in 2019, says a new report by the Institute for ...

Labour renews calls for the release of Patel bullying report

Labour is calling for the publication of the Cabinet Office report into allegations emerged that Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, had created a hostile and unprofessional work environment in the ...

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